Movie Review: Refugees Turned Sommeliers
It’s impossible not to smile along with this feelgood documentary about four Zimbabwean refugees in South Africa who got jobs in restaurants, discovered in themselves a brilliant talent for wine-tasting and in 2017 were brought together as the exiled team Zimbabwe for the World Blind Wine Tasting Championships in France, with the help of expatriate […]
Helping African Tourism Companies and Experiences Space Do Business Online Cheaper
Ugandan tourism-tech startup Tripesa has raised a pre-seed round of funding as it seeks product-market fit ahead of continental expansion. The startup has been mostly bootstrapped, though Eric Osiakwan is an angel investor, but in June secured an undisclosed amount of pre-seed funding from Future Africa, Consonance Investment Managers and LTNT Investments. Gonahasa told Disrupt […]
The Largest Tech Hub in Africa Creates an Enabling Tech Ecosystem for Innovators
Africa is a hotbed of technological innovation and talent. This is evident in the increase in digital skills and the large number of tech startups that have sprung up in less than a decade. These new technological skills and innovations require an enabling environment to thrive, and governments bear the responsibility for creating this environment. […]
CAF Launches Lucrative Super League
A new 24-club super league that aims to revolutionize African soccer and become its richest competition has been launched by Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe, even as his organization reported a loss of nearly $50 million last year. Motsepe said at the start of CAF’s general assembly in Arusha, Tanzania, on Wednesday that […]
Nigeria has Promised to Legalize Local Refineries and Set Up Refining Hubs in the Niger Delta
Refining oil illegally is so lucrative in Nigeria that many engage in the practice despite the dangers and a government crackdown. Illegal oil depots are common in the Niger Delta. But with new ones springing up regularly in the bushes, it’s difficult to estimate how many there are. Since the April explosion at an illegal […]
Acclaimed Novelist and Filmmaker Biyi Bandele has Died
Bandele, 54, was a prolific author, playwright and filmmaker whose work includes the adaptation of famed Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Half of a Yellow Sun starring Chiwetel Ejiofor and Thandie Newton. His death was announced in a statement signed by his daughter Temi Bandele. She wrote, “I am heartbroken to share the sudden and […]
Central African Ministers Agree to Merge Two Regional Blocs to Boost Trade and Growth
The 11-member Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) will join with the six-member Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC). The deal aims to eliminate rivalry that has helped to make central Africa the poorest region among Africa’s economic groups. Central African economy ministers say they want to foster regional integration, accelerate economic […]
Arrests Made after Mass Rape in South Africa
Authorities have charged seven men with 32 counts of rape after a mass assault at an abandoned mine near Johannesburg. A group of eight women were attacked while filming a music video at the mine near the town of Krugersdorp last month. Officials say they are illegal miners who dig for gold in disused shafts. […]
Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo Make for Very Unhappy Neighbours
Both sides claim the other is set on bringing down their government and violating past agreements and international norms. Rwanda accuses the DRC of working with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda or FDLR. The rebel group’s stated aim is to overthrow the Rwandan government. For its part, the DRC accuses Rwanda of […]
Kenya’s Two Leading Candidates are Running Neck and Neck
The tallying of results from Kenya’s presidential and parliamentary elections is ongoing, a day after millions voted for a successor to incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta. Voting on Tuesday was largely peaceful, but the turnout was low, with only 30 percent of the registered 22 million voters showing up six hours into the vote. By afternoon […]
